I’m so excited to share some of my favorite Mama Catherine looks with you! I love Mama Catherine as a stand-alone dress or top, but also love how it looks paired with other pieces; it’s so nice to have versatility in a pattern. The version I want to share with you is a lined scoop yoke, regular flounce sleeve, curved hem dress in a rayon spandex.

One of the questions I see people ask frequently about any pattern is, “does this look like a nightgown?” Well, I’ll be honest, everything looks like pajamas on me if I’m trying it on at the very end of a long night of sewing. So, first tip! Try Mama Catherine (and anything else you make) on as if you were walking out the door. For me, that means a bra, shoes, jewelry, mascara, and some dry shampoo! It makes a big difference in how a garment looks!

A second question that is frequently asked is, “what on earth do I wear with this?” The short answer is, anything you want! Clothes should make you feel beautiful and comfortable, so wear whatever makes you feel good!  The longer answer is, look for pieces that complement each other.

One thing to consider is the shape of Mama Catherine. When I layer pieces, I personally only like to leave one layer loose and flowy. I try to keep the others more form-fitting (although not tight, cause I like pizza too). For example, when I paired Mama Catherine with the Cocoon Cardigan from Patterns for Pirates, I belted Mama Catherine underneath it to give it a more defined shape since the cardigan is not fitted.

Mixing different colors, textures, and styles can give you an endless number of looks, but here are 12 ways that I loved for styling Mama Catherine!

Bold tights or basic black Peg Leg leggings are a perfect way to continue wearing dresses now that colder weather is hitting most of the U.S.! For a slightly different look that still works great into fall and winter, I belted Mama Catherine and bloused it over jeans and SOS Skinny Pants in a distressed knit. Generally I prefer thin belts to wide belts because I feel like wide belts chop me in half, but you can blouse the dress over just about any width belt.

I love the casual look of the cuffed flounce sleeves. To cuff them, I folded the sides of the flounce toward the front of my arm and then cuffed the whole sleeve twice to keep the flounce tucked in. I paired the leggings with ankle booties, the jeans with a pair of ballet flats, and the SOS pants with a pair of Converse for an extra casual look.

Another great way to wear Mama Catherine is under a Pencil Skirt or a Mama Joy skirt, or over a Mama Quinn in dress length. Just be sure to blouse the dress enough so that it’s not hanging out the skirt bottom! I paired both skirts with nude heels, and the Mama Quinn with wine colored booties.

The best part about cooler weather is that sweaters and faux fur get to come out of storage!. These two layers are both ready-to-wear, but you can create these looks with the Mama Darcey Duster Vest and the Faux Fur Vest! I also layered it under a Cocoon Cardigan. I found that the best way to layer over the flounce sleeve is to bring the flounce up toward your shoulder, otherwise it bunches up in the cardigan sleeve.

For the last three looks, I styled Mama Catherine under a brown slub knit Mama Nina tunic, as a simple belted dress, and as a stand-alone dress. I love how Mama Catherine can be dressed up or down so easily; this green floral especially will be on heavy rotation in my closet!

Be sure to check out the Made for Mermaids Facebook page AND the Made for Mermaids group to see other ways to style your Mama Catherine, or to see how it looks on lots of different beautiful body types!

Colleen loves DIY projects,  Diet Coke, and buying too many throw pillows at Target. See what else she’s up to over at mama & little e!